On YouTube, my October 22 video announced a songwriting contest I would host. There were no parameters for the contest besides the song being original, being “complete,” have the lyrics in the description, including the hashtag in the title, and do that by Dec 10, 2020. I nervously constructed the contest announcement video and hoped I’d get at least three entries. I sat and checked today, Dec 11, and happily found 33 entries.
Here I’ll chronicle the entries and my notes for each then have the winners circle.
The Entries
Here are my notes and comments I left for each entry. The link at the beginning takes you to the video entry.
| This starts out pulling me right in. The melody is very strong. The breaks and changes make this a joy to listen to. 🙂 I really like your lyrics and your extended metaphor with the storm. Great writing with that. |
| Immediately this sounds like Jewel. Like her style in a way. Your melody is very distinct. The story is very easy to follow. I love how your propel everything toward the ending. |
| Excellent production! I like how your lyrics set a scene. I like the arrangement–good ‘radio’ setup for this. The chorus lyric is very good–like the way the title plays with the story of the song. |
| Your opening is great–love that scene and the story start. Nice work with the melody, makes me wish I could sing. 🙂 The melody of this song is so strong–really make you want to sing along and learn the words. The outro adds a nice touch to the story. |
| Great sound, awesome opening line! Wow, your melody is so good, great work playing and singing this. This is a great take of this song. The power in your singing is amazing. The melody is so intricate! |
| I really like the structure of your verses–good use of parallelism. The melody is solid. I like the little changes in the chorus. This reminds me of The Beatles a little. That change in the chorus with the chords is such a good technique. Like the outro reinforcing the idea. |
| I like how the chords open up to introduce the first line. Excellent scene setting with the first verse. The chords moving into the chorus do a great job transitioning and the title line melody is such a pay-off. I really like how you vary the melody and sing this so well. I always admire your work. |
| OMG, shivers with your melody as you start. Love the chorus and the power–you’re really using your vocal skills there. Nice writing there. Like the hook after the chorus, nice way to add a kind of lyrical lament in a hook like that. Your melody has such amazing runs and movement–I wish I could pull that off. |
| I really like how you’re communicating a lovely message. Your falsetto was amazing–I keep wanting to add more embellishments like that. Your twist of phrase with the title is so well done. You read the title and have an expectation and you twist that in the best way to make it something more. Great writing on that part! |
| The lyrics instantly stand out to me with your metaphors and images. Your musical breaks are very cool–I noticed the metalico picking in there. This is becomes very memorable. I like the way your lyrics come out at time in little bursts and works as both a lyrical delivery and instrument. |
| I love the almost Police like vibe with this song. The way you put the melody over the music makes it really stand out. You can follow the words and groove–great writing on that. Your guitar work adds such a good flavor. |
| Wow, the way you start singing this is so good. Your vocal moves and little additions are a pure delight. You have some bluesy tones and have such an attention grabbing delivery. |
| This is epic. I love the sound and your voice fits this genre so well. The soundscape textures are cool–very contemporary making this a meld of styles. |
| Love that guitar tone, this is like late 70’s early 80’s rawk! The vibe is so cool-just pure rock energy–don’t be a troll. I like the attitude and energy of this. |
| That bass line has some funk. Has a mix of vibes, like a little 80’s in a way. This reminds me of some groovy stuff I heard in college from bands. That’s a compliment. 🙂 The music has some cool things going on with passing tones and the chord changes. As I’m listening, this reminds me of The Fixx. |
| I like the rhythm and groove of this. In a way, how you’re putting melody over chords is kind of like how I would. lol, not sure if that’s a compliment saying it’s like me. 😉 I really like how this gets grooving and moving along–I’m dancing. |
| Your strumming is so Pink Floyd like at the beginning. So many times I’ve had stuff like this in my head but just didn’t pull it off. Your guitar is massive. The second verse is really grabbing me. The atmosphere of this is so cool. |
| That smile and frown line is great. I really like the idea of enjoying what we have and trying to find solace in life instead of finding the holes in things. That trick pf perception. |
| Very cool chords–this reminds me of stuff like Zeppelin or Yes. I really like the moments that your melody supports the lyrics–good work! |
| This has such a classic feel to it. It’s not like old country but of that early 60’s era. The arrangement and instrumentation is so good. You can follow the music and story so well. |
| Love how alternative this sounds. It’s like the best part of some 90’s in there. This is mood music. This creates some cool complexity with the chords. The melody sticks to you. |
| The I don’t know what it’s about part is hilarious. 🙂 I really like how the music creates a strong mood to set the context for the lyrics. The melody part at the icicles and the tempo change after is very cool. The cadence of the melody is so cool. That really sticks with you. The repetition really works for you with this–talking about the chorus. |
| Your acoustic tone and playing are so signature of your style. I like your chord choices. Your storyteller style is so cool with the effect on the acoustic. The mood of this makes me want to listen and talk a walk and think. 🙂 |
| Wow, love the ways your vocals parts work together. I really like the little hints of how music could sound underneath. I like the harmonies that emphasize different parts of the story. I really like how this is arranged and how the vocal support comes in at the right places. |
| The guitar groove is so cool, and the melody is so nice on top. I wish I could do things like that. Your harmonies create a wide, complex sound. The harmonies create such a delicate complexity that’s so cool as the song progresses. |
| I really like how your chords create a rhythm and mood and how your lyrical style sits on that base. Nice work with the story. I like the ending part, kind of talking to the listening and breaking the 4th wall as they say. I like the invitation and personal nature of that. |
| The intro is so cool, really grabs your attention. Really cool melody, I like how the music is an eclectic combination of styles but is so cohesive. Very cool writing on this song! Your story hear is so good and clear, I like the way you resolve the story. |
| Your rhythm and playing make this song easy to fall into. I like your melody style and how you tell a story. The quantum reference and the use of that as an allegory. Very cool writing and the repetition of the softer part is very nice and stays with you after listening. |
| Oh man, the intro with the bass line is so good. This is like some really good 90’s groove rock almost like Blues Traveler’s and Blind Melon. Wow, the groove of this keep the momentum going along with your words. I like how this is almost like the protest songs. |
| I really like how delicate the melody is–that fits the idea of cracks in a jar so well. The instrumental bridge is amazing. The way your lyrics work to tell a story is very nice–I like that it’s sparse and leaves places for thinking. |
| My style of music and playing. I like how your blues form is the story telling variety. Very cool how you sing this over the chords. You’re taking that tried and true form and delivering it with absolute soul. |
| Your style is unmistakable and I love it. I love how you are creating a wonderful thanks and adding so much to this with the video and performance. You are outstanding. |
| Lots of cool vibes with how this starts. I live the groove you get built and how your move from verse to chorus. Your guitar solo is fire! Amazing playing! The ending is very nice to do something a little different. |
The Finalists
Honestly, choosing the top tier from this group was very, very tough. Keep in mind this is completely subjective and all the entries had amazing qualities. But, I said I would choose.
I didn’t expect this to be so difficult.
To give some insight, I listened to everything as blindly as I could, made notes and tried to sort them. I had twelve moving on from the thirty-three. I waited a couple days and listened again and got to four of that twelve. I’m calling these the finalists.
For sake of posterity, finalists may claim being a finalist in the Kyle Walz Song Contest 2020. Those finalists are:
- Aery “Trifles”
- Darren Claxon “Nothing’s In My Way”
- Sarah Harralson and James Tristan Redding “Angels On Broadway”
- Ian Luckett “Long Road”
Number 3
Ian’s song had such a great groove and I kept listening with admiration.
Number 2
Darren’s song is absolutely beautiful. The power of his singing and performance made this song memorable. I could vividly recall the melody.
The Winner
This was such a difficult choice. Sarah Harralson and James Tristan Redding’s song stood out because it had the memorable quality with the lyrics and melody and the way the song worked toward the chorus and payoff with the title line was simply amazing.
Catch the Announcement Video
Get more details about the songs in the announcement video.